Nick Westergaard is the Chief Brand Strategist at Brand Driven Digital – a brand-focused digital marketing firm that helps everyone from small businesses to corporate powerhouses build better brands online. In today’s episode, Nick reveals why developing a killer marketing strategy is the key to striking it big in the digital landscape. He also reveals what it means to market like a mousetrap, shows us how to ditch old and ineffective media tactics, and shares some the best advice from his smash bookGet Scrappy.

In addition to posting insights on branding and marketing at branddrivendigital.com, Nick is a contributor to the Harvard Business Review and host of the popular On Brand podcast. His thoughts have been featured in news sources such as US News & World Report, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Mashable, and more.

Nick is a sought-after keynote speaker at conferences and corporate events throughout the world. He teaches at the University of Iowa, where he sits on the Advisory Council of the Marketing Institute at the Tippie College of Business and the Professional Advisory Board for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is also organizer and host of the Social Brand Forum and a mentor at the Iowa Startup Accelerator.

Rakhal Ebeliis an award-winning journalist, keynote speaker, and one of Australia’s top content marketing experts. As the Founder and CEO of Newsmodo, he helps brands craft compelling and meaningful content by connecting them with experienced journalists from all over the world. Today Rakhal explores what it really takes to be a publisher of high-quality content in today’s media landscape. He also weighs in on the power of simplicity and nostalgia marketing, andexploreshowtaking cues from journalism canup your marketing game.

Topics include:

Brand journalism vs. branded content

Content discovery and thought leadership

How to craft a winning piece of content (and why transparency and quality are king)

Becoming a recognized expert in your niche

Rakhal Ebeli is an award-winning journalist and presenter as well as one of Australia’s most respected media experts. Since founding Newsmodo in 2012, Rakhal has led the industry as one of the driving forces of brand journalism. Leveraging his decade-long experience as a senior TV news reporter, Rakhal provide brands with the resources they need to create effective brand newsrooms.

He connects media outlets, brands and agencies to some of the industry’s most renowned names in journalism, delivering an end-to-end experience in ideation, content creation and amplification. Rakhal understands the value of high-quality storytelling and aims to deliver consistent, innovative content marketing solutions, whether in print, digital, long-form or short.

A media veteran, Rakhal is a sought after public presenter, moderator, and panelist at the world’s most prestigious media and content marketing events including Mumbrella’s CommsCon, Pause Fest and News:Rewired (UK).

Jesse Grushack is the co-founder of Ujo Music – a music app that strives to simplify how musicians are paid while creating an even better experience for music fans. In today’s episode, Jesse schools us on the true power of blockchain technology, and reveals how he and his team are using it torejuvenate the digital music industry. He also takes us behind the scenes at Ujo and breaks down the two biggest challenges inherent in digital music. He also talks about managing risk and benefits from emerging technologies.

Topics include:

Paving the way for a new digital industry

Access vs. ownership

Creating a mutually valuable user/artist experience

Exploring new ways to change old behaviors

How to create more value (and build more trust)

Jesse Grushack graduated from Union College with a dual degree in Computer Science and Economics. He found an equally strong passion for electronic music and crypto currencies leading to a managing editor position at DancingAstronuat.com when he was just a sophomore.

Jesse entered the music industry at ID&T North America where he spent two months as the managing director of marketing for TomorrowWorld (music festival). After graduating Union, Jesse went on to work for SFX Entertainment, managing cashless payment technology and access control at live events as well as conducting research into the future of these event identifications. Due to the decline in SFX, Jesse left in December 2014 determined to find another company that promised to make a difference in the world. In the beginning of 2015, Jesse found ConsenSys and immediately got involved in the unnamed music project. Fast-forward 15 months, Ujo Music is poised to help the music industry make more art.

In today’s episode, Caitlin Long (Chairman and President of Symbiont) deciphers everything you need to know about blockchain and bitcoin. During our conversation, Caitlin reveals how everyone from healthcare providers to manufacturers to media players can use this game-changing technology to boost their businesses in a big way. She also weighs in on the platform’s political overtones, and reveals how content creators can use it to stop piracy.

Topics include:

The real deal on regulation

How bitcoin payment really works

Maintaining privacy and preventing hijackers

Why bitcoin soars in developing countries and emerging markets

Caitlin Long is Chairman and President of Symbiont, the market-leading smart contracts platform for institutional uses of distributed ledger technology. Caitlin previously spent 22 years on Wall Street in senior roles, working for Morgan Stanley Credit Suisse and Salomon Brothers. During her career she started and ran three new businesses, was a top-ranked equity research analyst for the life insurance sector, and worked directly for the co-CEOs on a business restructuring in Zurich.

Caitlin has been active in bitcoin since 2012 and blockchains since 2014, and she served on Morgan Stanley’s internal blockchain working group. MarketsMedia awarded Caitlin its 2016 Women in Finance Award for Excellence in Blockchain, and Institutional Investor named Caitlin to its list of the most influential people in pensions during her final 3 years on Wall Street. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School, the Kennedy School of Government, and the University of Wyoming.